The three holiest sites in Islam are generally considered to be Masjid al-Haram (including the Kaaba) in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Beyond this shared consensus across Sunni and Shia traditions, the two branches place varying degrees of religious and devotional importance on other sites.
In Sunni Islam, sites related to Muhammad's companions, certain mosques, and the graves of the founders of the Sunni schools, have spiritual significance. However, attitudes toward shrine pilgrimage vary among different Sunni schools.
In Shia Islam, sites associated with the Imamate hold an extremely high level of significance. Holy cities such as Najaf, Karbala, Mashhad, Samarra, Kadhimiya, Kufa, and Qom are major pilgrimage centers. The shrines of the Shia Imams are central to Shia devotional life and are visited by millions of pilgrims annually. Additionally, many Sunnis revere the Shia Imams, mainly because of their familial connection to the Islamic prophet Muhammad or their significance in Islamic history, and may visit their shrines out of respect and love.
Hejaz
The Hejaz region in Saudi Arabia is where Mecca and Medina are located. It is where Muhammad was born and raised. The area also includes Jabal al-Nour, which holds tremendous significance for Muslims throughout the world, as it is here where Muhammad received his first revelation of the Quran, which consisted of the first five verses of Surah Al-Alaq from Gabriel.
Visitors climb the mountain daily to see the Cave of Hira, the place where Muhammad reported receiving the first revelation on the Laylat al-Qadr (night of power) from the angel Gabriel.
The two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are traditionally known as the Ḥaramayn, which is the dual form of ḥaram, thus meaning "The Two Sanctuaries". They should not be confused with Jerusalem and Hebron, which were also called Haramain during the Mamluk period.Haramayn at MadainProject.com. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
Mecca
Masjid al-Haram
Mecca is the holiest city in Islam, as it is the birthplace of Islam, the birthplace Muhammad, and home to the holiest Islamic site, Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram. Only Muslims are allowed to enter the city. The rites of pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba seven times. It is the qibla (direction of prayer) of the Muslims, contains the Maqam Ibrahim, Black Stone, the Zamzam Well, the hills of Safa and Marwa, Hateem, and the Al-Hajar-ul-Aswad which belonged to Adam and Eve in Paradise. The Kaaba was built by the first prophet Adam, then after Noah's Flood by Noah. It was then rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Muhammad played a central role in its restoration. Prior to his prophethood, Muhammad was involved in the rebuilding of the Kaaba following flood damage in 605 CE, during which he helped resolve a dispute among Quraysh clans by proposing that the Black Stone be placed on a cloth and lifted collectively, with Muhammad himself setting it in position.
After the conquest of Mecca, Muhammad entered the Kaaba and ordered the removal of its idols, dedicating the sanctuary exclusively to the worship of God. He reaffirmed Kaaba's association with Abraham and Ishmael in Islamic tradition. The area of Mecca, which also includes Mount Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah, is important for the Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage'). As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, every Muslim who is capable must perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Hajj is one of the largest annual gatherings in the world, second only to pilgrimages to the Shia Shrines.
Mount Arafat
Mount Arafat is a granodiorite hill about 20 km southeast of Mecca, where Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to his companions who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life.
Some Muslims also believe that Mount Arafat is the place where Adam and Eve reunited on Earth after falling from Heaven, believing the mountain to be the place where they were forgiven. A pillar is erected on top of the mountain to show where this event is believed to have taken place.
The mountain is especially important during the Hajj, with the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, also known as the Day of 'Arafah after the mountain itself, being the day when Hajj pilgrims leave Mina for Arafat; this day is considered to be the most important day of the Hajj. The khuṭbah (sermon) is delivered and ẓuhr and ʿaṣr prayers are prayed together in the valley. The pilgrims spend the whole day on the mountain invoking God to forgive their sins.
Medina
The Prophet's Mosque
The Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the second holiest site in Islam. Muhammad himself was involved in the construction of the mosque. The mosque's land originally belonged to two young orphans, Sahl and Suhayl, and when they learned that Muhammad wished to acquire their land to build a mosque, they went to Muhammad and offered the land to him as a gift; Muhammad insisted on paying a price for the land because they were orphaned children. The price agreed upon was paid by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who thus became the endower or donor of the mosque, on behalf of Muhammad.
Originally an open-air building, the mosque served as a community center, a court of law, and a religious school. It contained a raised platform or pulpit (minbar) for the people who taught the Quran and for Muhammad to give the Friday sermon (khutbah). Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated the mosque, naming its walls, doors and minarets after themselves and their forefathers.
One of the most notable parts of the mosque is its Green Dome, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. Many pilgrims who perform the Hajj also go to Medina to visit the Green Dome. The mosque also includes the tombs of Abu Bakr and Umar. In 1909, under the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, it became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to be provided with electrical lights.
The Quba Mosque
The Quba Mosque, located on the outskirts of Medina, Saudi Arabia, holds the distinction of being the first mosque in the world. It was founded in 622 CE by Muhammad upon his arrival in the vicinity of Medina during the hijra (migration from Mecca). He is reported to have personally participated in laying its foundations.
The mosque is frequently mentioned in Islamic tradition due to its association with piety and ritual purity. Several hadiths state that performing prayer in Quba Mosque carries special merit. The Quran makes reference to a mosque “founded on righteousness from the first day,” which many classical commentators associate with Quba.
Masjid al-Qiblatayn
Masjid al-Qiblatayn, located in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is renowned for its association with a pivotal moment in Islam.
The mosque is traditionally identified as the place where Muhammad received the revelation instructing Muslims to change the direction of prayer (qibla) from Jerusalem to Mecca. The event occurred approximately 16–17 months after the Hijra.
The mosque symbolized the transition of Islam from its early phase toward a distinct religious community with Mecca as its spiritual center. For this reason, Masjid al-Qiblatayn occupies a special place in Islamic memory.
Levant
Jerusalem
Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, also known as the Haram al-Sharif or the Temple Mount, is where Muhammad ascended bodily into heaven. It is the third-holiest site in Islam, held in esteem by all Muslims due to its history as a place of worship by many prophets such as Abraham, David, Solomon, Elijah and Jesus.
In early history, Muslims faced in the general direction of the Temple Mount as the initial qibla (direction of prayer) before changing the direction to face the Kaaba; a result of a Quranic verse revelation to Muhammad.
It is believed that expressions without a subject in verses 1–18 of Surāh an-Najm and some verses of the 17th chapter of the Quran, commonly called Surāh al-’Isrā’, allude to the night journey. In 610 CE, over the night of the Isra' and Mi'raj, Muhammad was taken from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque ("the Furthest Mosque"), where he led the prayer among the prophets, and was then taken to the heavens from the Foundation Stone. The "Furthest Mosque" has been mentioned in the Quran once, in verse 1 of Surat al-Isra'.
Damascus
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, is a holy site in Islam. The head of John the Baptist, revered in Islam as the prophet Yahya, is believed to be inside the mosque, which also houses one of only four original copies of the Quran. Prayers in the Umayyad mosque are considered to be equal to those offered in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Mosque is also the place where Muslims believe Isa (Jesus) will return at the end of times, atop the "Minaret of Isa" of the mosque, during the time of a Fajr prayer. Muslims and Christians alike consider the site a holy place.
The mosque also holds a special importance in Shia Islam since it contains shrines commemorating Husayn, whose martyrdom is frequently compared to that of John the Baptist. There is a location in the mosque where Husayn's head was kept. Furthermore, the surviving members of his family were imprisoned in the mosque for 60 days.
Hebron
According to Islam, Hebron was where Abraham settled. Within the city lies the Cave of the Patriarchs, the traditional burial site of the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs in both Islam and Judaism, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, built on top of the tomb to honor Abraham, is often considered by some Sunni Muslims to be the fourth holiest site in Islam.: 'Suleyman considered himself the ruler of the four holy cities of Islam, and, along with Mecca and Medina, included Hebron and Jerusalem in his rather lengthy list of official titles.'
Muslims believe that Muhammad visited Hebron on his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem to stop by the tomb and pay his respects. quote: From earliest Islam, the sanctuaries of Hebron and Jerusalem [al-Haram al-Ibrahimi and al-Haram al-Sharif] were holy places outranked only by Mecca and Medina; the Ibrahimi Mosque was originally regarded by some Muslims as Islam's fourth holiest site. Muslims believe that the Hebron sanctuary was visited by the Prophet Muhammad on his mystical nocturnal journey from Mecca to Jerusalem.🗿🗿🗿🗿 There is also a left footprint in a small niche at the mosque, believed to be from Muhammad.
During the first century BCE, Herod the Great built the wall that still surrounds the Cave of the Patriarchs, which later became a church, and then a mosque. Hebron is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Levant.
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula is associated with the prophets Harun (Aaron) and Musa (Moses). Numerous references to Mount Sinai exist in the Quran, where it is called Ṭūr Saināʾ, Ṭūr Sīnīn, and aṭ-Ṭūr and al-Jabal (both meaning "the Mount"). As for the adjacent Wād Ṭuwā (Valley of Tuwa), it is considered as being muqaddas (sacred), and a part of it is called Al-Buqʿah Al-Mubārakah ("The Blessed Place").
Sunni Islam
The Great Mosque of Kairouan
The Great Mosque of Kairouan is located in Kairouan, Tunisia, a city founded in 670 CE as the first Muslim stronghold in North Africa and the western Islamic world. The mosque was originally established by Uqba ibn Nafi, a companion of Muhammad.
The mosque functioned as a major center of Sunni Islamic learning, particularly for the Maliki school of jurisprudence. It played a major role comparable to later institutions such as Al-Azhar in Egypt, influencing religious scholarship throughout North Africa and al-Andalus.
The mosque is considered a masterpiece of early Islamic architecture. It features a vast hypostyle prayer hall, one of the oldest surviving minarets in Islam, a monumental courtyard, and a richly decorated mihrab. Its architectural style influenced mosque construction across the western Islamic world.
The Eyüp Sultan Mosque